Chicago Fire: Hanako Greensmith honors Hawkins with Instagram post

We miss Hawkins (Jimmy Nicholas) already. The character rose up the ranks to become a fan favorite in Chicago Fire‘s tenth season, and he seemed poised to continue his winning streak in season 11 when it was revealed that him and Violet (Hanako Greensmith) could make their romance public.

Then, tragedy struck. Hawkins tried to save a victim from a burning building in episode 3, and the building collapsed, killing them both. Violet was present, and tried desperately to resuscitate him, but it proved too late. Her boyfriend was gone.

Violet reacts to Hawkins death on Chicago Fire

Fans were understandably shocked by the death, despite being warned in promos that someone would perish. It just seemed like there was so much more to do with the couple.

Hanako Greensmith was similarly affected by the surprise death, and took to Instagram to pay tribute to her co-star.

"“What a year”, she wrote in the caption. “Scenes have been so quiet without you @jimmynicks. ❤️‍🩹 Love you.”"

The caption is especially poignant next to the collection of photos she posted with it. The photos see Greensmith and Nicholas paling around on the set, goofing around in the makeup trailer, and posing alongside co-star Kara Killmer.

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Greensmith and the rest of the Fire cast knew about the character’s fate, but she did a terrific job of discussing it beforehand, without giving away the details. During a recent interview with NBC, the actress said that Violet would be undergoing some major emotional challenges in season 11.

"“Violet is gonna have a massive, massive challenge thrown her way that I don’t think anyone was anticipating”, she teased at the time. “I know Violet wasn’t anticipating it. You’re gonna have to see her navigate some totally new emotional terrain and professional terrain.”"

Now that we know what the challenge is, we’re eager to see how she moves on from losing Hawkins, and whether the trauma of his death will affect her professionally.

What do you hope to see in the Chicago Fire season 11 premiere? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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